


Better Than Cake

by phinnia



Series: Delta Quadrant Babies [3]
Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2018-11-13
Packaged: 2019-08-23 05:50:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16613117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phinnia/pseuds/phinnia
Summary: Birthdays, and things that are better than cake.





	Better Than Cake

“In _my_ family,”   Kathryn says, looking at the three shining faces around the table, “the babies get first crack at their first cake.”  
  
“They’re going to make a _mess_ of it.”   Harry protests.  
  
“That’s the point.”   Kathryn grins.   “That’s why the Doctor is here with his holo-imager.   To get pictures of the babies covered in cake.”  
  
“All right.”   Tom says lazily from where he’s lounging on the sofa.   “Your idea, you get to hose them down afterwards.”  
  
“Of course!”   She chirps.   “Okay, Neelix!   Bring the cakes in!”  
  
“What, _cakes?_ ”   Harry spluttered.  
  
“They’re just little cakes.”   Kathryn patted Harry’s shoulder.   “There’s a bigger one later, for everyone to share.   These ones are specially for them to make messes of.”  
  
“I should have put a cloth down.”   Harry goes across the room and sits down on the sofa with Tom.  
  
Neelix brings the cakes in, and they sing ‘Happy Birthday’.  
  
“No.”   Tom says, grinning ruefully.   “I think we’ll just eject that whole part of my quarters into deep space and start again.”  
  
The cake destruction was interesting to watch.  Julla got most of it on her face and in her hair.  Shannon tried to build something with it, putting half of it on top of the other half.    Owen didn’t want to make a mess of it, and then when his mother told him he was _allowed_ to make a mess of it, he sort of poked it with his fingers for a while.     
  
“Say ‘cheese’.”  The Doctor says.  
  
“No!”   Shannon says.  “Is cake, is cake time now!”  
  
“Smile, Shannon, and show your teeth.”   Harry says.    “Smile nice for the picture.”  
  
“Oh, pit’chure.”   She ran an icing-covered hand through her hair and smiled, showing her teeth.  
  
“Her _hair_.”   Harry winces.  “I just washed it.”  
  
“Well, Kathryn’s going to wash it again.”   Tom murmurs under his breath.   He nuzzles the back of Harry’s neck.   “I like you better than cake any day.”  
  
“I’ll let you cover me in Jambalian fudge.”   Harry whispers.  
  
Tom gives Harry a very fiendish grin and then smiles innocently at Neelix.   “Hey, Neelix?   Any of that icing left?”  
  
“I have some in the kitchen.   Why?”   Neelix gives him a confused look.  
  
“Just wondered, it was pretty good on Kes’s cake.”  
  
“I forgot to give Tuvok my report on the sensors.”   Harry says, picking up a random padd.   It was filled with nursery rhymes, but that didn't matter.  
  
“Oh, right.   I’ll help you with that.    You can watch them until we get back, right Kathryn?”   Tom grins across the room.   “Come on, Harry, let’s go.”  
  
They vanish before anybody has any time to say anything.  
  
Kathryn picks up Owen.   “I think your dad is having a present for your birthday.   What do you think about that?”  
  
“Pwesents?”   Owen says hopefully.  
  
“First, it’s bath time for everybody.   Then we have presents.”   She shakes her head.  “Or maybe we _should_ just use the hose.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. :)


End file.
